LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 165, 15 December 1874, Page 3

LITERATURE.

A CAVE TALE. “Now, sir, we’ll just ease her head in close to that rock and you can come forward and watch your chance, and jump ashore. Ho it at the right time, or you’ll get wet-footed. Once you’re there, we’ll run her up on to the boulders, and pull her out of reach of the tide.”

Roused from the long look I was taking over the boat’s side down into the clear depths of the sea, where bass were pursuing shoals of sharp launces amidst the brighthued seaweeds that fringed the pale green rocks, 1 climbed over the thwarts, stood up, and as the boat closed in I leaped on to a huge mass of granite, one of the bottom stones of the walls of a natural granite temple, whose Cothic arch was hung with the most graceful ferns, while the granite walls were stained of the brightest hues by the many growths which hero flourished. I was now some twenty feet from the mouth of the cave, while beneath me for flooring there was the pale green sea, heaving and throbbing restlessly; but farther on there were the huge granite boulders rounded by centuries of storms, where the two boatmen were hauling up the boat, whose sides grated over the stones as they ran it up ; while a little clamber ng along the granite ledges, slippery with seaweed, would bring me to their side.

Beyond them I could see the cave run upwards, evidently far into the cliff, for its extent was concealed by the gloom; but the roof glistened with a metallic-looking, bright green moss, and I could sec that the view of the sea, as seen from the depths of the cave, would amply repay me for a little exploring. As I expected, the view of Mount’s Bay from the interior was beautiful in the extreme, for the blue sea and sky appeared as if framed in a setting of rock and fern; but as for the interior of the cave, there was little to repay the explorer—rough earthy walls, loose stones, ready to fall from the roof, and an incessant ‘drip, drip’ of water to form pools upon the floor, rendered travelling anything but pleasant. However, the part of the cave more open to the sea was certainly very beautiful, being truly a rough Gothic temple, hung with the most delicate of tracery, while the courses of the granite stones were almost as regular as if placed there by human agency. Upon returning to where the sea rose and fell amongst the boulders, I found the old fisherman who had guided me sitting upon a huge round stone, gazing into the water, and he seemed to wake with a start from a reverie as I spoke. ‘Ah ! this is a lucky day, sir. I haven’t seen the sea so calm for weeks. Very little swell puts a stop to any landing here; for the water washes between these rocks very fiercely, and would knock a boat to pieces in no time. Curious place, isn’t it’ Famous place, too, at one time; You see, there’s a fine depth of water at the mouth, so that you can row a boat right in, and you’re regularly out of sight directly. Many a bit of smuggling has been done here in the old times 'before there were so many of the Coast Guard about; but that sort of thing is all done away with now. ‘ Did I ever smuggle ? Yes, a deal. Who did’nt ? Why, ’most everybody had something to do with it ; and these caves along the shore here have had many a load of brandy run into them, and would have had a many more, only we could only work it when the sea was very calm ; though I have run in here when the boat was bumped sorely, and more than once we’ve been capsized, and been swimming about amongst the brandy tubs, with the chaps round on the rocks seeming to hesitate as to which was best to hook out—a brandy cask or a man.

‘You see, a good time used to be looked out for, the revenue boat watched, and then a chasse marec —that’s a French lugger, you know—would stand in as soon as she dared, and then every boat would go to work, and we’d have her cargo out in a wonderful short time, and hidden away long before the cutter could come down. Then, at night, a party would collect on the top of the cliff; carts would be at the nearest road, and the little kegs would be swung up by ropes over the mouth of the cave, and then away they’d go. Every one was mixed up in it, farmers, gentry, and all; for if you had wanted them to prove that the nones and spirits they put on their tables, or the silks and velvets and kid gloves their ladies wore, had paid duty, they would have been puzzled. ‘ I went into it strongly as anybody at one time, and never troubled myself to think whether it was right or wrong. I did it for profit, and, as a rule, it was far more satisfactory to the pocket than fishing; but it has been a sore spot in my conscience ever since, for through me it was the death of as line a lad as ever stepped. < it’s forty years ago now good since Are were busy one night, running in the cargo of a French lugger. Brandy she had on board that time; and in my boat, besides two more, rvas my brother’s boy, a lad of eighteen, and a line, manly-looking felloAV too. He had persuaded me to let him come, and thoughtlessly I said he might, and fine and pleased he Avas, and useful he made himself handing in the casks, and then helping to land them.

‘ It -was a bright, moonlit night, and all was going on as swimmingly as could be—the I'Tenchies were jabbering away, and our men were doing their bit of work quietly —when just as L had our boat loaded, we heard a gun, and directly aftei; wo saw, shining in the moonlight, the white sails of

the cutter, which had just stolen round the point you saw before we turned in here. She had come upon us suddenly, for we had been trying a ruse—as the Frenchmen call it—sending a boat’s crew up to the norrards after another lugger, which was to stand off

and on as if waiting for signals, and when overhauled, of course she had nothing aboard but fishing nets. But the lieutenant in command of the cutter had been tricked too often to be cheated this time, as he now showed by the gun he fired across the lugger’s bow. ‘Away went the boats—some one way and some another—and as we lay to at the oars ours went through the waters very fast; so that we soon put a few rocks between ns and the cutter, while, as it happened, out of four boats ours was the only one that made for the cave.

‘ My plan was to run right in, just the same as we did to-day, unload her till we could run her in upon the boulders, and then try and climb up the rock on to the cliff, which I thought perhaps we could do by means of the rope—one getting up and then helping another. ‘ Well, we got out of sight of the cutter, and soon know that the lugger was trying to show her 'the rope’s end and making off; for, echoing amongst the rocks, we could hear shot after shot fired, whilst I felt sure that the cutter’s boat would be on the lookout along shore and in chase of ns. However, we got safely in, though there was a pretty good swell on, and we had two or three heavy as we came along. I jumped out and held on by the painter, while the kegs were run right up into the dark, past where yon arc now, in no time. Then a sharp run placed the boat out of reach of the waves, and we turned to climb along the ledge that jyou came along from the landing rock. ‘ Hold hard !’ I said, all at once, *we may as well try and Hide her, for they may come poking and prying along here, and if they don’t see the boat perhaps they won’t land. ’

‘ But the ledge is nearly covered with the tide,’ said Tom, my nephew.

‘ What, arc you afraid ?’ I said. ‘ Before the words were out of my mouth lie had jumped into the water up to his middle, and was hack first to the boat, which lay just about where I pitch this stone, for there weren’t so many boulders then. So at it we went, and by main force ran the punt right up, steep as it was, to where we had hid the oars, close up by the brandy kegs, and far out of sight of the cave’s mouth, when we stopped to wipe a little of the perspiration from our faces. ‘Now, then,’ I said, ‘no time to lose;’ for it struck me that the tide would make it difficult for us to get out, and so I was leading the way down again, when, just as I got here where we are, I heard the rattle of an oar in the holes, and just turning the rock into the full moonlight, and coming into the cavern, was the cutter’s boat. The next moment we were all hidden behind pieces of rock, and taking advantage of the darkness to crawl farther and father back.

‘ I knew they would hardly land, for the tide was flowing fast, and I could hear it coming in amongst the rocks with a sharp rush that I knew would bother them. So I lay still, thinking how we should get off ourselves —for I did not mean to stay where we were —when suddenly a light flashed in, lighting up the cave, so that but for the rough rocks they must have seen the kegs ; for it was the cutter’s boat, burning a blue light, Directly after came the heavy thud of the cutter’s gun to recall the boat; and to my great relief, out she backed, leaving us once more in darkness.

‘We saw her pass out in the moonlight and turn the rocks, narrowly escaping a capsize as she did so *, and then, knowing there was but little time to lose, I led the way, and, clinging to the rock, began to pass along the ledge, now covered with the sea, and at every wash of the waves the water came to my middle. But that troubled me very little ; and, passing quickly along, 1 made my way to the rock where I landed you. The two men’ followed me, and then saying, ‘blow, Tom!’ I began to look out for the best way up. ‘ Tom made his way to my side, and I was just going to start, when a wave came with a sharp run, and the rock being covered with weeds, Tom slipped, and, uttering a sharp cry, he disappeared in the black water where the moon did not shine. ‘ For a moment or two I could not move, but directly after I was down on my knees, to reach out my hand to him when he rose, and then, not seeing him, I plunged in and felt about swimming, with the waves bearing me where they would; for one lias but little power in such a hole, for the water runs like a cataract. Once 1 thought I saw his hands out of a wave, and I dashed towards it, regularly leaping through the water for a moment, for the stream was with me; but the next instant I was swept back right into the darkness of the cave, with the wash of the tide sounding horrible in my ears, and the long, leathery strands of the weeds seeming to cling round my legs. Now, all at once, the water began to show phosphorous, and splashed in golden light upon the rocks, while with the strength of despair I struck out, shouting to the two men for help, as I seemed to see my brother’s agonised face rise up before me when I told him his boy was drowned. That was the last thing I seem to recollect, for the tide now had risen high enough to come round the rock there to the right; and as I struggled out once more to where the moon shone, a wave caught me and dashed me back, so that I struck my forehead on a corner of one of the rocks. I Just remember feeling my hand glide over the slimy stone, and then I seemed to go down into the deep black water, and all was like sleep.

“I came to again, held upon a ledge of the rock out there by the mouth, for one of my mates had caught me as I was Heating by him. My temple was bleeding sharply, and that, I suppose, brought back ray senses, for they were keen enough when 1 said to him, ‘Where’s Tom?’ and he did not answer; for the pain run through me like a knife as I knew what the silence meant.

‘We never found his body, sir, which must have been washed right out to sea ; ,md now, if you please, as. the tide’s rising, we’ll be off again, for tliis place, even so long ifter, gives me quite a turn, though f fancied L had got over it. Along the ledge there, sir, to the rock. That’s right: and when we come close in you’ll leap on board. ‘ That was a bit of a slip, sir, but you’re all right, and I’m glad we’re out in the sunshine again. I didn’t tell you, though, that the cutter took the lugger, though they never found the cargo; but that affair quite cured me of smuggling. ’